The Beginning

January 7th, 2009

I finally arrived in Scotland! It was a long trip, but definitely worth it when I stepped outside of the airport in Glasgow for the first time. I was excited for the overcast weather... had it been sunny I think I would have been sure I was not in Scotland. Overall, the plane ride was not bad, and I was able to meet a bunch of people throughout the trip. The guy who sat next to me on the plane was from Germany and was very friendly. I think the worst part of the trip was my layover in Amsterdam... I was starving, but did not feel it would be worth while to buy Euros just so I could eat breakfast. At the airport in Amsterdam I met another student who was on her way to study at the University of Glasgow. It was exciting to finally talk to someone... I had been dying to call someone but the whole no cell phone thing was a problem. When we arrived in Glasgow, the pilot mentioned the weather being about 5 degrees and when I stepped outside I was shocked to find it was warm out. It was then that I realized people use Celsius in Scotland. I made my way through customs quickly and had my passport stamped without any hassle. The cab ride to my dorm was pretty quick, and my cab driver was very friendly.

I didn't realize that Cairncross House is about a fifteen minute walk from the main campus, so when I arrived at my dorm I was surprised to see no signs of academic buildings near me. It was very easy to check in to my dorm, and one of the men who worked in the building helped me carry my luggage to the room. After settling into my new room, I went downstairs to meet up with some other students from Boston College. We explored the campus which was gorgeous and then went out to a bar called Curlers for our first Scottish meal. Most of us had burgers so I guess that wasn't too Scottish, but the food was good! After dinner we all headed back to our dorms and I finally got to meet my roommate! Her name ironically, is Keely, and she is from Canada...